certainly inspirational for all of us and for journalists as well. you can see "open heart" on hbo later this year." anderson cooper 360" starts now. jake tapper is in. tonight only on "360." the high cost of health care is enough to make you sick and making some people rich. hospital ceos making 2 million, 5 million, nearly $10 million a year, running nonprofits, and who is paying for it? well, you are. we'll show you how and how hospitals try to camouflage the bills loaded with bull. later why on earth is this man smiling? he came within inches of death by avalanche and lived to tell his incredible story. you will hear from him in the studio tonight. two major developments in the blade runner bail hearing. a striking change in the defendant's demeanor. and, two, the kind of twist you would be laughed at for trying to put in a movie. no one would believe it.

a key member of the prosecution, the lead detective on the case, revealed to be an alleged would-be killer. granted, a celebrity defendant with a glamorous and sympathetic victim never meant this would be a run of the mill court proceeding. but this one isn't even close and one of the fastest runners alive is on a slow, strange and sad walk through his country's criminal justice system. more on day three of the bail hearing from robyn curnow in south africa. >> reporter: hot and claus f, t exploded when oscar pistorius came in. seemingly unmoved by the latest twists in a dramatic case, the lead investigator in the past days has struggled to offer clear evidence was removed from the case because he himself is facing charges of attempted

murder in an unrelated case. >> the case that is being spoken about, it is a case that took place during the course of his duty. he was at work, and they were patrolling, they saw this car, the car refused to stop, and they called for support, and they shot the tires of the taxi. so we cannot prejudge him. charges have to be made and justice has to prevail. both crilley and internally in the department. >> reporter: now one of the most senior detectives has been removed from the case. pistorius' lawyers argued if he wanted to kill his girlfriend, he could have done it her empty bladder proves she went to the bathroom in the night.

that she probably locked the door frantically when he was shouting about a burglar. it all sounded plausible until the state delivered a strong, final argument. i was inside the courtroom the whole of today and took a copious amount of notes. but the key issues came from the state's prosecutor toward the end of the day. they basically ripped apardon oscar pistorius' affidavit. in particular, pointed out forensic inconsistencies. for example, why were the cartridges inside the bathroom when oscar pistorius alleges he shot from outside the bathroom. crucially and quite damningly, pistorius lacks an insight and realization of what he's done. because he's conceded he fired the gun, the state said he shot to kill, but whether his target was at reeva or a burglar, the stark fact is that act is still considered to be murder. and while pistorius waits to hear if he gets bail, photos and videos are all friends and

family have of reeva steenkamp. memories and dreams shattered. >> she was so excited to have kids. just not now. >> gina meyers was her best friend. >> actually, the irony of it she sent me a message at the beginning of the month and she said this month is going to be amazing. it's going to change our lives forever. >> reporter: those who love her just hope they will learn the truth about how she died one day. >> robyn currenow, take us in t courtroom. >> reporter: the key thing, oscar pistorius is frozen, immobile, he didn't move. we have had conversations over the past few days. initially when he walked into the court, he could barely control himself, shaking, crying. today, i sat in the courtroom the whole day, and i watched and listened, and he literally was like this. his head bowed slightly. once or twice he had a little cry, but really this is a man

who seems to be, you know, under the weight of the realization of what is in front of him. he really seemed bowed, but i was struck, at times it felt like he was asleep even or checked out completely. so i mean i think from what i -- from what i observed, oscar pistorius is slowly digesting the fact that you know, it's inevitable perhaps he gets a jail term according to legal experts i have spoken to, unless he has an extremely efficient legal team and they get off on some sort of technicality. he's admitted to shooting and killing somebody he thought it was a flooburglar, and that sene is 3 to 7 years. so things aren't looking good for him and you can see it in his physical demeanor. >> arguments in the bail hearing will continue in the morning. do we expect a decision to be made tomorrow? >> i do believe a decision will be made. i've got a sense from sources

within inside the prosecution, they were aware this case was perhaps taking bait too long. the court itself is backlogged. their backlog is messing with the court's schedule. a decision has to be made because of the high profile nature. how the magistrate is going to rule? i found it difficult to gauge by the questions he was asking. and the flip-flopping of sides, ebbing and flowing, one legal team took precedence over the other and the argument flips. i find it very hard to look ahead and project what the magistrate is going to rule. but if he doesn't get bail, remember, his legal team can appeal and go to the high court some of it won't be over then. >> robyn curnow, thank you. digging deeper to why this is playing out the way it is and what could happen next. we're joined by criminal defense attorney mark geragos, co-author of "mistrial" how the justice

system works and sometimes doesn't and jeffrey toobin. the fact that the lead investigator is removed because he's facing charges in another case, this a big setback for the prosecution? >> no, it's not. for a very important reason. there are no jury trials in south africa. this will be a judge trial when it ultimately goes to verdict. a judge is not going to be shocked by the fact that the detective has something bad in his past. that is not the kind of thing that a judge who has been around the criminal justice system for a while would be affected by the way a jury would be. it's obviously not a good thing, but in the long run it won't matter much at all. >> i would agree if this were -- if they had a jury here, this would be the death nell for the case. but are you kidding me? er had a case or seen a case where you've got your lead investigator on the case who has

contaminated the crime scene and oh, by the way, i have seven counts of attempted murder? >> mark fuhrman. >> and those were just racial epithets. >> you didn't have a guy who shot someone four times at point-blank range. that is the key fact in this case and the attempt to make it into something more complicated is obviously what the defense is going to do here, but this is a woman who was killed in cold blood and that's the key fact in this case. >> i really don't -- i don't think we're -- i think even the fact you have a judge here and that's generally -- we have the baseball bat rule in my office. if you waive jury in a case like this, would you get a baseball bat between the eyes, you never want a judge deciding a case like this. >> exactly. >> clearly, i think he has more than a plausible defense. will go out on a limb and

speculate and say this magistrate gives him bail. some of the questions he was asking are indicative that he will give him bail, and i think that the prosecution has a tough row to hoe on this case. >> south africa is a different country than the united states. they have different rules and so any sort of categorical predictions about the south african legal system is going to act is misguided that point. >> except remember something too. part of what you see when you turn on cnn or other stations are people in america projecting their cultural kind of assumptions onto south africa. i -- i saw somebody the other night, may have been on this show, saying, wait, he didn't call 911, which factually was not correct. they have something there. but that isn't the person he would have called is perfectly normal according to people i know in south africa for who you would call. i agree with you, it's not the american system, but you -- i

think this guy has a pretty good defense based on what i talked to people in south africa, his kind of paranoia, his fear of crime. i don't think that's something so outlandish. >> the prosecutor has really been trying to portray pistorius as a flight risk, his unwillingness to recognize his crime heightens the flight ris.? do you agree with that? >> why wouldn't he have every incentive in the world to clear his name? he has an able defense team. i think that's very compelling. i think he will get bail. i'll be crazy and make the prediction. >> as i understand south african law, it has to be extraordinary circumstances for bail to be granted in a case like this, and i don't see extraordinary circumstances. >> if it's a schedule 6. if the judge downgrades it to a schedule 5, it does not have to be extraordinary circumstances. that's why mr. -- is it riah,

the defense lawyer, arguing for a level 5, which basically takes it out the extraordinary circumstances. >> i talked to a south african legal expert and she said the prosecutor backed himself into a corner, because he is so aggressively pursuing the case the way he is, that forced him to have to present the evidence as early as he did. >> i just -- i don't see that at all. the person who backed himself into a corner is the defendant here. he did something that defendants should never do. he put forth this affidavit which locked him into a story before anyone knows what the forensic evidence is. suppose it does show she was not shot through the door, that some of the shots were before that. how does he explain that? how does he explain that it is so dark that he can't see the woman in bed with him, yet he can go to the balcony, he can go back, go to the bathroom, he gets all around there without

any problem. i mean, i just think his story is preposterous. >> i agree with you, it's extraordinary to put somebody in -- or their story in a declaration that early on. that's extraordinary. but -- >> you would not have advised him to do that? >> it depends. high risk/high reward. people talk about the south african prisons where he would be detained before trial, maybe this is the gambit they will willing to gamble. it looks like the defense is wiping the floor of the prosecution with everything i've seen. >> is that because of the case they are waging or the circumstances? >> they have staked out a position that is inherently ridiculous. >> that is always what the defense attorney wants to do. >> they have taken the position that he is a flight risk. and that i think even the judge or magistrate wasn't buying any of that. so if that's the case, then that

tends to kind of paint them in a different light on all of the other allegations that they have. so when you start talking about testosterone and start talking about whether he was wearing the legs or not and that i think is all going to bely ballistics and could or could not end up destroying his affidavit. my guess is they have been out there. remember, the defense found a casing in the toilet. so the defense has been to that scene. the defense knows whether or not that door was shot through. it doesn't require all kinds of analysis to figure out did he shoot from outside the door or shoot inside the bathroom and they knew whether or not that cricket bat had blood on it or some kind of flesh or hair. so they understand i think a lot more than they give them credit for. >> to be conditioned. mark tube toobin, jeff geragos.

next, a friend who is certain that pistorius didn't murder his girlfriend. how he can be so sure. and the dangerous weather. who got hit? who is next. congress takes a vacation, you get laid off and they make a promise to cut their pay that they know they can't keep. we're keeping them honest. my wife takecentrum silver. i' been on the fence abo it.

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day three of the blade runner bail hearing and a visibly different oscar pistorius. down cast, almost frozen in place. seemingly resigned according to robyn curnow to a grim future. his family calling it a difficult time, they have been there for him. so has his friend who has been watching the proceedings in court. we spoke earlier today. >> kenny, you're a friend of oscar pistorius, been in court every day. you strongly contend he is innocent. why are you so confident? >> i have always believed in oscar's innocence, and once once

he give the version of what happened, i became more convinced. i don't believe oscar is capable of being a murderer. >> have you been able to speak with oscar pistorius since reeva's death, either in person or on the telephone? >> i haven't been able to speak to him, but he knows of my presence in court, inasmuch as he knows of the moral support of others. >> have you ever met reeva? >> no, no, no. i haven't met reeva. their relationship i think is fairly new, and as you would have had that -- they met i guest last year. >> have you been in court with oscar. what is it like being there? what can you tell of how he's holding up? >> it's not easy for anyone.

i think especially in oscar's case where an accident has happened. and yet you are being accused of a very serious offense. it cannot be easy. as -- as we -- we would have seen in court that it would break down every now and then. it just shows you a bleeding heart and a good man that is -- that is in pain. with what has happened. and, yeah, it's not easy for him. not easy for his family, not easy for his friends. >> lastly, kenny, as a friend of oscar pistorius, what is your message to people out there following this trial? what do you want them to know about oscar? what's your message for those who are watching who think, well, this looks pretty bad? >> this is a trial. let oscar's trial be treated

like any other trial. just because he's an international athlete, let us not make it an exception and make stupid, irresponsible comma commands, that would seem to influence the proceedings of the court. oscar is a great man, he's a legend, an icon. oscar is an inspiration to many young people in the country, both abled and people with disabilities. i just want to say to oscar that tough times never last, but tough people do. and i know he believes in prayer and that his family prays for him and we pray for him, and i know that he -- they also pray

for the family of reeva. but all that i can say is let us all give oscar an opportunity to clear his name within the law. the principle of innocent until proven guilty is an integral part of our constitution. let us respect it. >> kenny kunene, thank you for talking with us. >> thank you very much. >> we'll develop a full hour to this story tomorrow night. "blade runner: murder or mistake?" watch it starting at 10:00 p.m. tomorrow. ahead on "360" what's hiding inside your hospital bill? who is getting rich off of it? ceos of nonprofit hospitals -- let me repeat that. nonprofit hospitals, raking in

multimillion dollar salaries while patients are getting billed for every tissue, every bed pan. and a father and son buried alive in an avalanche. he will describe that for, ahead. now, i'm on a bayer aspirin regimen. [ male announcer ] be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. [ woman ] learn from my story. to help protect your eye health as you age... would you take it? well, there is. [ male announcer ] it's called ocuvite. a vitamin totally dedicated to your eyes, from the eye care experts at bausch + lomb. as you age, eyes can lose vital nutrients. ocuvite helps replenish key eye nutrients. ocuvite has a unique formula not found in your multivitamin to help protect your eye health. now that's a pill worth taking. [ male announcer ] ocuvite. help protect your eye health. [ male announcer ] ocuvite. dad: you excited for youyeah.st day? ♪

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a massive winter storm has claimed a life in texas, hammered the middle of the country, and is heading east. about 60 million americans are under some type of winter weather warning tonight. the storm dumped a foot and a half of snow on parts of kansas, forced the closing of kansas city's airport. elsewhere, inches of ice, rivers of rain, and it ain't over yet.

it's a monster. meteorologist tom sater joins us from the weather center. why is this different? >> i think because at one point, 20% of the country was under a watch or warning. in the midwest, where the snow is moving to chicago, indianapolis, a mix in chicago. some of the totals, sure, 9, 10, 12, 15 inches. to give you an idea, wichita, kansas, records go back to the 1 1880s. the worst snow, you just missed the all-time record. in northern arkansas to missouri, up to four inches of sleet and ice, now knocking out power, generators and oil lamps tonight. the triple threat. the other part is severe weather. look where the tornado watch is in effect. south of jackson. this includes hattiesburg,

mississippi, and into the evening period. remember, it was going to be two weeks this coming sunday. an ef-4. i think what we'll see, dynamic start to lose strength for the severe weather overnight. great news. but as snow continues to make its way to the great lakes, here are a few totals. call ahead if you have a flight in chicago. 6.3. minneapolis, 3.5. green bay, 3. we won't see large totals, jake. the storm is just beginning. as it moves toward areas of the ohio valley, the northeast saturday for new york city, looking at rain mainly, boston, looking at a little bit of a mix, change over to rain. and in the deep south, we could see 4 to 6 inches of rain by tuesday. >> tom, thanks. the latest on the other stories we're following. susan hendricks joins us with a "360" bulletin. three people killed and at least three other injured in a fiery crash on the las vegas strip. a gunman an suv shot into a car,

and that car ran into a taxi, setting off a chain of crashes. in central damascus, a car bomb kills 53 according to activists and state-run media. it targeted the headquarters of syria's ruling party and damaged the russian embassy. walmart says stores are struggling to keep shelves stocked with guns and ammunition. boosted's sporting goods division was boosted in the fourth quarter. oscar ceremonies will pay tribute to 50 years of bond, james bond. the bond villains are also getting their due at washington's international spy museum. jaws with his unforgettable steel teeth, just buchbt bad guys given center stage at that exhibit. >> i have seent seen those choppers since "moon raker." >> you have to head out and see them. >> thank you.

if congress doesn't cut a deal in the next seven days, $85 billion of forced spending cuts will be triggered on march 1st. over time, a total of 1.2 trillion in cuts will kick in. did we mention congress is on break this week? that's right. no formal negotiations going on right now. zip, nada. just a lot of finger pointing. if march 1 arrives with no deal, the pain will cut wide and deep. but here is the thing. members of congress won't actually feel any of that pain in their own paychecks. here is dana bash. >> reporter: pain from forced spending cuts is a week away and lawmakers are preparing their aides for fallout that could hit them like other government workers. >> we've actually budgeted with a 10% cut in mind. >> we reorganized our office last december. we had to let people go then, because we were anticipating at least a 16% cut. >> reporter: get this. members of congress, the very people who voted to put these cuts in place, won't see any

change to their own $174,000 a year paychecks. they are exempt. they didn't include their salaries in these spending cuts. so before lawmakers left town for a week long recess without doing anything to head off the coming cuts. hey, congressman, dana bash, cnn. retook an informal survey. do you think you should take a cut as a member of congress? >> certainly. we're all in this together, suffering together. >> reporter: most lawmakers in both parties say yes. would you take a pay cut? >> absolutely. let's do our part as well. >> reporter: but cutting lawmakers' pay now is not so easy. the 27th amendment prohibits members of congress from changing their pay until after the next election. they can get creative. write checks to the charity or the treasury. ironically, some tea backed party lawmakers are reluctant to give up their own pay. do you think members of congress

should take a pay cut? >> i don't think some of i don't think we should raise our pay. >> republican billy long elected to cut washington spending. >> it's such a miniscule part, it wouldn't have an effect. >> reporter: would you take a pay cut as well. michele bachmann talked only about her staff, not her. >> we'd like to keep everybody on the payroll if they can, they will have to work at fewer hours. we're looking at reductions in staff. that's what we need to do. >> reporter: ironically, one of the biggest opponents is one of the wealthiest. nancy pelosi says she knows others are not so for the nature. >> most of my colleagues are the bread winners in their families. a pay cut to me doesn't mean as much. >> dana those comments from nancy pelosi, your average american is likely to be hurt by forced cuts, if and when they come, but somehow members of congress who approved the cuts

shouldn't feel pain? >> it's one of her mantras that most of congress shouldn't be made up of millionaires. she didn't want the cuts to begin with. they called it a satan sandwich with a side of satan fries. >> interesting. how about negotiations? anything happening at all? or is it more likely that these cuts will kick in come march 1st? >> the short answer is, no, no negotiations going on to avoid this that i can detect. the president did place calls to congressional leaders, most notably republicans, the house leader and senate republican leader, but, remember, these are just phone calls. not actual negotiations. if you want to know how little is going on. listen to this i was told by a boehner aide this is the first conversation the two of them had since december 28th, almost two months ago, and mccoll aide said it was the first conversation

they had in 2013. that tells you all you need to know. >> my friend dana bash, thank you. >> thank you. more secrets. the people who are cashing in on health care don't want you to know. bulked up medical care. while some ceos of nonprofit hospitals, let me repeat that, nonprofit hospitals, are making small fortunes. a tragic end to a young canadian tourist. one of the most puzzling parts of the mystery, where her body was found in los angeles. get more out of it. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 like earning a bonus of up to $600 tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 in a schwab ira tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 and 150 commission-free online trades tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 plus our rollover consultants handle virtually tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 all the details tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 to help you focus on the bigger picture. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 so give us a call and get started today. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 see schwab.com/iraoffer for terms and conditions.

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keeping them honest. tonight, more secrets to share with you about the high cost of

health care. what we're going to show you could save you money, possibly lots of money the next time you get a bill from a hospital. we've partnered with "time" magazine. the special report called "bitter pill: why medical bills are killings us." a journalist spent seven months investigating and what he found is jaw dropping. drew griffin is digging on our end, finding why a lot of people are profiting on your high bills, even those hospital who's call themselves nonprofit. how are hospitaling pulling in so much money? oh, let us count the ways. part two of drew's report. >> reporter: pat palmer has built a business around helping patients fight hospital bills. she says in no other business are all of the costs of doing business itemized and billed separately. you don't have a separate electricity bill added on to your grocery bill or a refij ration bill charged separately when you buy ice cream. if hotels ran their business

like hospitals, would you be charged for lying down on the bed. >> absolutely. if we went to a hotel and charge us for sheets and towels, there would be a ruckus made over those kinds of charges. and a major issue. but let we let medical industry do this on a daily basis. >> reporter: palmer says she found hospitals billing for everything from tissues to little white cups that hold aspirin. everything has a charge. the bill sometimes, hundreds of pages long, have hidden codes or names. steven brill writing a special report for "time" magazine makes just one conclusion. hospitals want to prevent patients from knowing what they are paying for. all in an attempt to charge as much as they can get away with. >> i defy you to take any hospital bill, anywhere around the country and everybody watching this program knows this, and try to read that bill

and try to understand what it says and what the prices actually are, let alone what the prices are based on. it is the opposite of transparency. >> reporter: but not everyone, of course, is feeling that pinch. in the world of nonprofit hospitals, some people are making a small fortune. public records show ceos of top billing hospitals across the u.s. can garner salaries, deferred compensation and other revenues that rival ceos of major for-profit businesses. take a look at this list put together by a health care journal's review of 2010 and 2011 tax filings, which showed ceos of top grossing nonprofit hospitals making multimillion dollar figures. watch as the numbers get bigger. the top salary paid in 2010? dean harrison, chief administrator of the prestigious

northwestern memorial hospital in chicago. his salary and one-time bonus earned him a whopping 9$9.7 million. when we asked about the high salaries and high hospital bills, the american hospital association sent to us taylor, michigan and to malcon henoch at oakwood health care system. even he didn't want to talk about hospital health care executive salaries. he was willing to discuss hospital billing. here the hospital says it tries to work with patients, to understand their bills. >> the information we provide is not perfect. it doesn't disclose everything. and it's not for everyone always easily understood, but it's a start. this notion of transparency in health care is important. >> reporter: henoch admits billing at hospitals can be confusin

confusing, but he notes the cost of, say, a simple blood draw, have lots of costs that patients don't see. >> the cost of that is not just the cost of that vial, but the cost of a technician who processes that sample, the cost -- a fraction of that cost individual who has drawn that blood from you, a fraction of the cost of that equipment that analyzes that blood sample, a fraction of that cost that electronic laboratory information system that we need to collect and store and disseminate that information to the physician, to the nurse, to perhaps a number of physicians not even practicing at the hospital. >> reporter: which is why some people may be billed up to $200, just for a warm blap knket. it is, in fact, all up for negotiation. if you are insured, your insurance company does the negotiating. if you're on medicare, the government does the negotiating. if you pay out of pocket, then

the hospitals, paying those million dollar salaries, determine just how much you will pay. your wealth or your health. and here is a staggering figure about how much money we are talking about here, jake. "time" magazine reports americans will spend $2.8 trillion on health care this year. per person, that's 27% more than other developed nations spend on health care, and hospitals get a lot of that money. >> and, drew, as you reported last night, there are some measures to control health care costs, in obama care, nothing addresses these specific runaway costs in hospital billing fees. any support in washington to try and drive these costs down? >> you know, let me put this in perspective for you, and, jake, you know how that town washington works. this is in "time" magazine's special edition. according to the center for responsive politics, since 199,

doctors and hospitals have spent 5 5.36 billion lobbying in washington. double of the defense industry and the oil and gas industry combined. so people make money in health care certainly have the government's ear and i might ad add they have our pockets. >> indeed. drew griffin, thanks. a grisly discovery on a hotel rooftop in los angeles. a decomposing body found in a water tank where it might have been for as long as 2 1/2 weeks while hotel guests used that water. the latest on the investigation and we'll take you inside that hotel. next. ♪ come on, boy! [ barks ] ♪ oh, heavenly day here we go. ♪ cha-cha-cha ♪ don't you know that i love ya ♪ ♪ cha-cha-cha-cha-cha ♪ always thinking of ya ♪ all around the world ♪ everybody singin' along ♪ singin' along

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sign up for your free trial today at constantcontact.com/try. the los angeles county coroner is doing an autopsy today on a young woman whose body was found in one of the most unsettling places we've ever heard of. the 21-year-old canadian tourist's body was found inside a water tank behind a locked door on a hotel's rooftop. we don't know how she died or got into the water tank. but we do know her decomposing body was in that tank as long as 19 days and the whole time, hotel guests were drinking that water. >> reporter: water from the tap, something the cecil hotel doesn't want you to see. hotel residential vin taylor helped us videotape it with a cell phone. >> chlorine. what the city is using to flush the hotel's entire water system.

after the gruesome discovery of a woman's body inside one of the rooftop tanks that mate have been there as long as 2 1/2 weeks. four tanks connect to the hotel's drinking supply and during those weeks, hundreds of residents and hotel guests have been using it. >> really turns my stomach. a lot of people have left and went to another hotel. just the thought of it, for so long. >> reporter: the woman inside the tank? 21-year-old elissa lam. the tourist arrived on january 26th. surveillance video shows her acting oddly in the hotel elevator as she was hiding from someone. >> she was very outgoing, very lively. they friendly. >> she is the manager of a bookstore around the corner called the last bookstore. one of the last places lamb was seen by anyone, as she bought

records and presents for her parents and sisters. >> talking about what book she was getting, whether or not what she was getting would be too heavy for her to carry around as she traveled. take home with her. >> reporter: that was january 31st. the young woman planned to see more of california. her parents flew down to los angeles to plead with the city to help find their daughter. outside the family's restaurant near vancouver, a memorial for a young life lost too soon in an unforgettable manner. >> it feels like the beginning of a novel. the beginning of a ray mond chandler story and phillip morrow will figure out what happened. but this is real life. imagine you are having a great day, skiing, and suddenly you are swept off in an avalanche. tossed around like a rag doll and nearly buried alive. you will meet the tale of a young man who lived to tell that amazing story. [fight bell: ding]

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lucky man. tony robinson was skiing at the arapahoe ski basin when an avalanche hit. what seemed like 20 minutes but probably more like 2 minutes he was tossed and turned like a rag doll, snow in his mouth, thinking of his wife and son. miraculously, a small hole opened so he could breathe. tony found himself buried alive. tony robinson joins me now. tony, first of all, i'm so glad you're okay. walk us through what happened. >> i was there alone actually, and found a buddy of mine, at the mountain with his son, and he said come on down and meet me

down at the base. we did a little hike up, 20 minutes or so, got our breath, obviously, especially on the way up there. getting ready to go. take it easy if you go down here, you twist an ankle, lose something, it's really hard to get you out. and i thought -- i went back to my military days and safety, safety officer, and i said, well, what if there is an avalanche? just threw that question out and he looked up and said ski left or ski right, matter of fact and make sure you cover your mouth. i hear it's hard to breathe and with that, we were off. and we jumped in, and i bet it wasn't, you know, a minute later, and i'm talking 100 feet, i heard a sound like -- >> what was it? a rumble? >> no, more like the earth moaning a little bit. giving you a warning, if it will, and then it just -- the snow started to move underneath you. i mean, all -- wherever you

could look at your feet, the snow was moving downhill. >> i can't even imagine it. what does it feel like to be tossed around in the middle of something like that? >> you are basically gasping for air, and fighting to just figure out which way is up and down, and there are moments where you are so tight and enclosed and can't breathe, and at one point i swear i was upside down. i don't know if that's possible, but i swear i was upside down rolling down the hill and i thought that is not going to end well. >> does it feel anything like when you get caught in a wave in the ocean and have you no idea what's up and down. >> exactly. that's it. somebody said it is a washing machine. it's no maytag washing machine. more like a wave. a tidal wave is hitting you, and you don't know which way up is. >> how long did it take before they dug you out? >> so once the snow stopped it really like weights you down, and at that point is when you

are supposed to get your hands to your mouth. i wasn't able to. >> you couldn't left your arms? >> no, it came quick. pretty much comes to a screeching halt and it stopped and like you mentioned, a small hole opens up and i can breathe and see the -- the sun and the blue sky, and i probably was there five, ten minutes before someone found me. >> why did that hole form? was it just luck? you were lucky? >> i'm a god fearing man. i believe that, you know, luck, fate, and, you know, a lot of things came at once to open that little space. and, again, it was -- the pictures, wasn't much of a hole when they came to dig me out. >> the smile on your face in that picture says it all. you must have been -- i mean, you thought you were going to die. >> oh, yeah. it was pretty sure. i mean i was hoping live. let's put it that way.

i'm an optimistic guy. i was hoping and praying to live, not saying, what should i have done in life? there is no time for that. >> were you thinking about your wife, thinking about your son? >> that was the only three thoughts, my wife, who is expecting our second. and my 18-month-old little son, and god. hoping that, you know, he would help me through it. >> and the thing is, you had actually talked about avalanches before you set out, but was there any sort of sign, any sign of warning? any sort of do not do this indicated to you? >> my last facebook post is crossing a fence, it says danger, arrived lamp risk. and number two. sign number two, they were trying to cause the mountain to naturally have an avalanche.